


Different Skies

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Fuck Canon I Do What I Want, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Star Wars: Rebels, THRASS LIVES, The Search, not treason compliant, oh no, thrawn is missing, you know which one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21553207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Another post rebels exploration fic. Thrawn and Ezra must survive together, while Eli and Ezra's rebel friends work together to find their missing people. Secrets, shenanigans, and adventure ensues. Rated teen for language, mentions of death and descriptions of corpses.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Eli Vanto, Ezra Bridger & Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo, Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Comments: 10
Kudos: 57





	1. Alliance

**Author's Note:**

> This is entirely self indulgent, not beta'd, it's probably trash. Enjoy!

Ezra woke up with a start, and was suddenly aware of the pain coursing throughout his entire body. He opened his eyes, and immediately squeezed them shut again. A wave of nausea overtook him, and combined with the pounding of his head, he felt like he was at sea. He rolled over and emptied the contents of his stomach. Breathe, Ezra. He reminded himself. He laid still for a moment, then pushed himself up with aching limbs. He took in his surroundings. He was sprawled on a sandy beach, it seemed, surrounded by smoking and sparking debris. What happened? He shook his head, trying to clear it. Right. The purgills, hyperspace, Grand Admiral Thrawn… Ezra scrambled to his feet frantically looking around. Did Thrawn survive the crash, too? The Chimaera was a smoking pile of metal, stretching on for miles. Ezra looked around for a weapon, and settled on a metal pipe lying at his feet. He pushed his aching limbs to take a step forwards, when a cool voice interrupted him.

“I see you survived the crash relatively unharmed.”

Ezra whipped around, white spots blinking in front of his vision. The blue skinned admiral was sitting on a chunk of what looked like control panel, fixing Ezra with his piercing red stare. He seemed to be in worse shape than himself. His pristine white uniform was torn nearly to shreds, and the man himself was scraped and bleeding in as many places as his uniform revealed. A part of Ezra was surprised to see that the alien’s blood was as red as his. It seemed like he had been on the receiving end of the shards of glass caused by the purgills. 

“Yeah, well so did you.”

Ezra brandished the pipe threateningly. Thrawn seemed unimpressed. 

“Bridger. I don’t suppose you’d know where we are.”

Ezra shrugged, causing pain to lance through his body once again. 

“I just asked the purgills to remove us from the fight. Permanently. Can’t say I was terribly specific.”

Thrawn didn’t look away from him. It was kinda creeping him out. 

“Of course not. You and your group tend to make up your plans, as they say, ‘on the fly’, leaving little regard for anything outside of your immediate results.”

Ezra felt taken aback. He supposed that was right, but it was odd to be called out on it.

“Yeah, but we beat you. So, what’s the problem?”

Thrawn leaned back slightly, giving Ezra an odd expression.

“It would seem so. But may I ask you something?”

Huh. He was still oddly polite. 

“Go for it, I guess.”

Ezra said, sitting on another chunk of Star Destroyer. 

“You can sense other living beings, correct? Is there anyone here aside from the two of us?”

Ezra frowned at the abrupt change of topic. It seemed like an odd question. He closed his eyes, and reached out with the force. Thrawn was beside him, with no visible emotional output. He was calm, collected, and organized mentally. Ezra shook his head. That was weird, but an issue for another time. He felt the flow of the force through the ground, spreading like roots across the area. It touched the edge of a forest nearby, vibrantly full of life. It swept the area of the crash, finding a dark patch of death and lingering fear and despair. Ezra withdrew with a gasp. Thrawn was still expressionlessly looking at him. It was an unforgiving stare, and Ezra squirmed under it.

“We’re the only two survivors.”

It had a weight to it that Ezra hadn’t expected. Thrawn nodded, leaning forward.

“Do you know the average crew size of an Imperial Star Destroyer, Ezra Bridger?”

Ezra shook his head, not trusting himself to speak.

“I see. Allow me to enlighten you. An average crew has 37,000 members. However, the Chimaera, being a flagship, was home to exactly 9,247 officers, 27,968 personnel, and because we were preparing for a potential assault, 10,000 stormtroopers. So that would be a size of 47,215 people. And there are no survivors, are there?”

Ezra felt his stomach drop. He had… killed that many people? He hadn’t thought about it like that. Hell, they destroyed Star Destroyers every battle. The rebellion’s kill count might be somewhere in the hundred thousands. And his was so high as well… he glanced up at Thrawn, with his unforgiving glare. He felt sick. 

“I- I didn’t think,”

He started. Thrawn looked… almost sad.

“No. You never do. And now tens of thousands of men and women have lost their lives. The engineers, ensigns, and even the supply crew. None of them had any of the resolve of the higher officers. Many joined just to support their famil-“

“Stop it!”

Ezra cut in, feeling tears trying to force their way out of his eyes. 

“You made your decision. You must live with the consequences.”

Thrawn added softly. He stood up with a wince. Ezra was too stunned to move from his spot. The pipe clattered out of his hand. 

“Unfortunately, it will take the both of us if we wish to survive this. I assume you want to get back to your friends before you die.”

Ezra gave a small nod. He did want to see Sabine again. If he could even face her. Thrawn disappeared into the smoking wreckage without a word. Too late Ezra realized he shouldn’t let the man out of his sight. But it didn’t seem like he was interested in killing him. Ezra pushed himself up, and headed to the wreckage.


	2. Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eli sets off.

“Eli. Come in, please.”

Eli entered Thrass’ office nervously. They never usually met one on one in such an official environment. They met with other Syndics in conference rooms, or alone in a more personal setting. Something was wrong. The Chiss sitting behind the desk rose as soon as Eli walked in. 

“Thrass. What’s wrong?”

The other man’s face gave nothing away, but Eli could see the tightness at the corners of his mouth. 

“I have received a report from Imperial Space. I just sent it to you, but I thought you’d want to hear it in person.”

Eli felt every curse word he knew in Cheunh run through his head before he replied.

“What happened?”

“A few months ago, the ISD Chimaera disappeared over Lothal. I believe the Empire conducted a search, but they have released the news as well as listing all personnel as missing in action. All of them.”

Eli felt his stomach drop.

“Thrawn…” 

Thrass nodded. I called you as soon as I found out. I assume he’s sent you reports,”

Eli nodded in confirmation.

“So you know how unstable the Empire is right now. And without my brother…”

He didn’t need to say any more. The rebels would probably destroy everything they’d orchestrated. Total mission failure. 

“What should we do?”

Thrass looked weary, gesturing for Eli to sit. He did, and he sat down on a seat next to the human. 

“I suggest search and rescue. The other clans don’t know about this, and I only just submitted the report to the Aristocra. As Syndic of the first ruling family, I cannot leave my post. And you, as a Captain for the CEDF…”

Eli didn’t let him finish.

“I’ll go. Please, I’ll tell Ar’alani, or even the Aristocra. But I need-“

Thrass held up a hand. 

“I know. The CEDF needs you, but I’m sure they’ll understand. But I think this should be a sanctioned mission.”

Eli nodded. 

“That way, if it goes well, it’ll reflect well on the Admiral, and they can claim all the credit for it. If not, well, I guess I lose my position. I think it’s worth it.”

He added. 

“I think you should take someone with you. I’d go myself, but duty calls. How about that pilot, Dostaw’aesha'iaso?”

Thrass asked. Eli thought for a moment. Aw'aesha was certainly old and mature enough, and he was sure she’d be delighted to do a one on one mission with her mentor. 

“I can ask. I’ll talk to Ar’alani as soon as I can. And Thrass- I’ll do my best to bring him back.”

The other man gave a small smile.

“I know you will. If there’s anyone I trust to achieve this, it’s you, Captain. My brother is lucky to have someone like you.”

“Thank you, Syndic. I’ll let you know everything that happens.”

Eli stood up, and exited the office. Thrawn was missing in action. Maybe dead. And who knew what had happened to the rest of the crew. He checked his data carrier and saw that the reports were indeed there. Bless Thrass. He marked them for later review, and made his way to Ar’alani’s office he hoped she was there, since they had a meeting the day before. He quickened his pace, and he was greeted as he walked the pristine corridors. He nodded in return to the greetings, realizing how much had changed since he’d arrived. Now, mostly thanks to Thrass and the friends he’d made, he was decently well respected and recognized. Thrawn would be pleased, he thought. 

Sure enough, the Admiral was in her neatly decorated office. 

“Captain Vanto. I’ve been expecting you. Mitth’ras’safis sent me a notice.”

“Admiral. Did the Syndic reveal the nature of this meeting?” 

“He did. And I agree with you. Mitth’raw’nuruodo is a valuable agent, and it would be best to locate him.”

Eli was stunned. He hadn’t expected her to agree so readily. She continued.

“However, this mission will be sanctioned on the condition that should you succeed, you must consider merit adoption.”

Eli frowned. He knew there was a catch. 

“You’ve risen so far in the past few years. If this goes well, every clan will want to claim you. If you want to go any further, I suggest you choose one. Think about it.”

Eli nodded. It wasn’t unreasonable, but he’d wanted to see Thrawn again before he made that decision. Ideally, it would work out like that. 

“Thank you, Admiral. When do I depart?”

“In two days time. I want you to bring your pilot with you as well. You may need her.” 

Eli turned to leave.

“Captain.”

She said as he neared the door. He turned back around. 

“Good luck. I’m counting on you.”

“Thank you, Admiral.”


	3. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezra does some sleuthing, and finds out something interesting.

When Ezra returned to the original meeting site, he was surprised to find Thrawn seated in a pile of parts, bent over something that looked vaguely like a transmitter. 

“So, uhh, what are you doing?”

Thrawn didn’t look up as he responded. 

“Altering a damaged long range transmitter. Given the time elapsed since we woke, I estimate that this planet has fairly long cycles. We still have several hours until nightfall.”

“Huh. Anything else you noticed about this planet?”

“Based on the integrity of the air and water, and the lack of noise pollution, I would say it’s either uninhabited or developed by a less technologically advanced race. I also believe that we are somewhere in wild space, but more likely the unknown regions. What sector, I have no way of guessing.”

Ezra was impressed. Right, this guy was super smart. He had almost forgotten. He felt like he should be doing something, so he sat down on a rock and leaned his head on his hands.

“Sooo, I know you know a lot about me, considering the research you undoubtedly did. But I don’t know a thing about you. Like, how did you become grand admiral? Doesn’t the Empire kinda hate non humans?”

Thrawn didn’t answer for a moment, focused on his work. Then he spoke.

“Generally, yes.”

And nothing else. Ezra rolled his eyes. So much for small talk. But he continued to press his luck. 

“Why’d you even join the Empire in the first place? Like, why would you want to?”

Thrawn didn’t answer this time. Ezra tried one more thing.

“You got anyone special at home to go back to?” 

Again, he was met with silence. 

“Okaaay. Good talk.”

Ezra swung his legs off of the rock, and walked back towards the ruins. Maybe Thrawn’s office or quarters survived. Now he was curious. If he was to survive with this stoic Admiral, he wanted at least a little talking material. Maybe blackmail. Whichever came easier. He ducked under some low hanging wires, and began climbing to the upper levels. He was not expecting to run into charred bodies, but he was barely inside when the blackened shell of a stormtroopers met his eyes. He tried not to be sick. 

After nearly an hour of wandering, bodies, and rubble, Ezra found himself in a room that looked like Thrawn’s office. At least, the flickering art holos were somewhat a giveaway. Other than that, there was really nothing personal in the room. The Admiral was very tidy. Or he was really just like a droid, with no discernible personality. That didn’t seem right, somehow. He had to have at least one friend, right? 

Ezra noticed that some of Sabine’s art was featured, and he felt an unexpected pang of loss. He really did miss her. He shook his head. Time to move on. He entered the admiral’s quarters, which were shockingly mostly intact, except for the blown out ceiling over the bed. It had sparse decoration, except for a vibrant rug or tapestry hung on the wall above the upended desk. It was made up of shades of red, orange, and blue, and contained a simple geometric pattern. That was odd, Ezra thought. All of the other art had been holos. He approached the rug. Even more odd, it had a handwritten note attached to the corner. Of course, Ezra read it. 

Thrawn-

My ma made this for me as a going away gift when I joined the navy. Now that I’m going away and not bringing anything with me, I want you to have it. I know you’ll at least appreciate it. 

-Eli 

Ezra blinked in surprise. So, the Admiral had at least one friend. Whoever Eli was. And he had been an imperial officer too. Ezra suddenly had a chilling thought. Had he been on the Chimaera? He certainly hoped not. He was already filled with enough regret. But it was a beautiful woven rug, and apparently it was a gift. They must have known each other fairly well. 

Ezra opened the top drawer of the desk, spilling most of the contents onto the floor. It was several holo photos, as well as some hand made chess pieces. He flicked on one of the holo photos. And nearly dropped it in shock. Thrawn was smiling! He had his arm wrapped around a smiling man with tousled hair, and a uniform that labeled him as a Lieutenant Commander. Thrawn was also in uniform, but his rank was different. Substantially lower than Grand Admiral. Maybe Captain, or Commodore? Ezra had no idea. Could this be the Eli from the rug? 

Ezra turned it off and tried another photo. It showed Thrawn with the same man, this time not in uniform. They were smiling again, and both holding… graduation certificates from Royal Imperial? They did both look younger. So Thrawn had graduated as a cadet, with this man as well. So they had been friends for over 15 years. 

He checked the final photo, and nearly choked. It pictured the same two people, the man HAD to be Eli, who else could it be? And they were out of uniform again, obviously on some planet, but Eli was solidly asleep on the Admiral’s shoulder. It was a very peaceful photo, and Ezra almost doubted that this was the same man he knew. He replaced the holos, and left the chess pieces where they were. He crept out of the room, feeling like he had discovered something he shouldn’t have.


	4. Leave Taking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eli and Aw'aesha discuss their plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a short one, I'm trying to be consistent with pov changes.

Eli and Aw'aesha sat in the cockpit of Thrass’ personal ship, which he had been kind enough to lend them. The young pilot had agreed enthusiastically to join the mission, and they were ready to get going. 

“So, Captain. Where do we start?”

The teenager asked. She was already seated in the pilot’s seat, releasing the ship from where it was docked.

“The Chimaera was last seen over Lothal, so we start there, and follow its last known trajectory until we find it. I read the reports, and it seems like the young Jedi, Ezra Bridger, somehow summoned purgills from hyperspace to grab the ship then drag it away.”

Aw'aesha whipped around to look at him incredulously.

“Purgills? No way.”

Eli nodded.

“No wonder Mitth’raw’nuruodo didn’t predict that. There’s no way that should’ve happened.”

Aw'aesha nodded, returning her attention to the ship. 

“Setting course for Lothal. We should be all set for a few days, Sir.” 

“Good. Thank you.”

Aw'aesha leaned back in her seat, looking at Eli.

“What are you expecting to find, Captain?”

He was silent for a moment, as if thinking about his answer. Aw'aesha thought he seemed sad, with the subtle slump of his shoulders and the tensing of the corners of his mouth.But he had adopted Chiss mannerisms extremely quickly, which was impressive. So there wasn’t much to read. But she knew him. The disappearance of Mitth’raw’nuruodo had affected him more than he let on. She knew they were close, but-

“I don’t know. Just, some solid evidence of survival or lack of.”

She nodded silently. Then, she asked what had been bothering her.

“Why did you volunteer? Were you friends with the Grand Admiral?”

Eli’s expression didn’t change.

“You could say that.”


	5. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thrawn tells Ezra some critical information. Ezra has regret.

It had been eight of the planet’s long days, and Ezra had barely spoken more than a few words to Thrawn. He had completed his repairs, and the transmitter was rotating and beeping softly in the clearing where they mostly stayed. Ezra was eating a ration pack, and Thrawn was nowhere to be found. Not surprising. He usually disappeared for long periods of time and then came back with a random object. He wondered what it would be this time. As if on cue, the man in question appeared from the wreck with a stack of data cards in one hand, and a data pad in the other. Ezra leapt to his feet, not wanting to waste a moment that could be spent pestering the man. 

“What are those?”  
Thrawn shot him a look as he went to the crate he had been collecting stuff in.

“An assortment of information. All that I have collected over the years. It is too important to be lost completely.”

“Wow, sounds interesting. Can I see one?”

Ezra knew full well that the answer would be ‘no’ or silence. But he asked anyway, delighting in the silence. So he was surprised when Thrawn spoke.

“I suppose. You would not understand much of it. This pile,”

He gestured to the ones he had just sat down.

“Was collected by another officer who was extremely skilled in analyzing numbers, shipping patterns, and other data. You are welcome to look at any of these. The Empire’s secrets are now irrelevant.”

Ezra frowned. What was that supposed to mean? He mentally shrugged it off, reaching for a in the pile Thrawn had indicated. He plugged it into the pad he had found the day before, and was instantly greeted with an absolutely massive list of… just numbers. In a file called ‘Doonium’. He looked up at Thrawn.

“Doonium?”

The man inclined his head.

“Indeed. The officer and I extensively catalogued all of the Empire’s doonium transactions in order to discover the emperor’s secret project.”

“What project? Did you find out?”

“We did.”

Thrawn sat for a moment, as if debating how much to tell him. Then, he spoke. His tone was as dark as Ezra had ever heard it.

“You don’t even know the damage your rebel friends did. It would be cruel to tell you.”

Ezra started.

“What the hell does that mean? We defeated you, your tie defenders, and restored peace to our area of the galaxy. WITHOUT the empire.”

“Peace will not save you.”

It was such a chilling statement. Ezra sat down on a crate.

“Feel free to elaborate on that. We’re stuck here, might as well talk it out.”

Thrawn put the rest of the cards down and sat cross legged in the sand. 

“Very well. Ezra Bridger, I will tell you everything. You will need to know for when we are reunited with our people.”

“Our people? Not the Empire?”

Thrawn shook his head.

“The Empire is lost. I will return to my people, the Chiss.”

Ezra was confused. How could the Empire be lost?

“I will explain that later.”

Ezra glared at Thrawn. Sometimes, it seemed like the man could read minds. It was extremely irritating. 

“I was sent by my people to assess the strength of the Empire, and determine whether it would be better to use as an ally or to terminate it. I met with the Emperor, and because I had met a jedi named Skywalker in the past-”

Ezra interrupted.

“Hold up. You knew Anakin Skywalker?”

“Indeed. The emperor decided he could use a resource like me, and I was allowed to enter the Imperial Navy. I was given a translator, Eli Vanto, who helped me navigate through a strange government.”

Oh. OH. So that was who Eli was. He had known Thrawn since the beginning, apparently. 

“I rose quickly in the ranks, chasing pirates, and working to strengthen the Empire for the impending threat.”

“Wait, what threat?”

“My people reside on the edges of unknown space, and we have protected the galaxy from outside invasion for millennia. There is a darkness rising outside the reaches of our galaxy, Bridger. My people call them the Far Outsiders. The only hope of protecting our worlds would have been to unite the galaxy against them.”

“And you thought the empire could do that? Are you insane?”

Thrawn ignored his outburst.

“A heavily militarized society would be the only way. The Empire was corrupt, but it had the naval power that would be sufficient to join with the Chiss. But the empire will not last.”

“You keep saying that. Why?”

“The Emperor’s project… it is called the death star. A huge weapon that can be used to destroy entire worlds in one blow. Something no one would dare challenge.”

Ezra felt cold.

“Whole planets? But.. How?”

“Vanto and i worked for years to reveal its existence and location. And recently, the emperor told me about it personally. As any skilled tactician knows, it is unwise to concentrate all the firepower and resources in one place. I told him this,”

Ezra’s eyes widened.

“You told the emperor?”

“I did. Such a large weapon will only unite our enemies against a common target, and if destroyed, it would ruin the empire. I came up with my own project, one much more efficient, and less costly. The tie defender.”

“So, your projects were competing?”

“In a word, yes. Mine would have been more suited to large scale warfare, which was the expected outcome. But now…”

He trailed off. Ezra gulped. Assuming he wasn’t lying, this was very VERY bad. 

“So with the defender project destroyed…”

“Yes. The death star may continue construction without hindrance. I am certain that the empire will not last long after it is used for the first time. And now that I am here, no one remains to see the big picture. My mission was a failure.”

Ezra took that in, staring at Thrawn. Was the man really trying to protect the galaxy? Ezra shuddered, remembering his remorselessness and determination. The end justifies the means, he thought bitterly. 

“So we’re fucked, is what you’re saying. Because we tried to do the right thing.”

“Indeed. I do not deny that you may have had noble intentions. But the rebels killed thousands of my officers and soldiers, and disrupted plans greater than they could comprehend. Forgive me for being blunt.”

Ezra blinked in surprise. That was almost an apology. 

“That still doesn’t excuse your own actions, you know.”

“I am not making excuses, nor am I seeking to repent for my actions. I chose the best course of action at the time.”

He explained calmly. Ezra rolled his eyes.

“You must have SOME regrets. Everyone does.”

“If I did, I would not discuss them here. You must understand, the past cannot be changed. There is no reason to waste energy considering the impossible. Or the inevitable.”

Ezra shrugged.

“Huh. that’s actually pretty good advice.”

Thrawn inclined his head.

“Feel free to look through the rest of the data if you wish. I have other matters to attend to.”


	6. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eli meets the Ghost crew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of hate this fic, but oh well. It's been sitting in my drafts since last spring.

“Unidentified Shuttle, please identify yourself as you approach Lothal.”

A voice came over the comm. Their hyperspace journey had ended a few short minutes ago, and they were immediately hailed by a local frequency.   
“My name is Eli Vanto, I am here to visit a friend. I have one other passenger, and no cargo.”

It was odd, hearing basic again. The syllables felt rough and choppy in his mouth, and he winced at his pronounced accent. There was a pause.

“I don’t recognise the make of your ship. Where do you hail from?”

Ah. Here was the difficult part. 

“I’m from Lysatra. The ship isn’t mine, my parents run a shipping company and they took it off of some pirates a few years back. Not sure exactly where it came from.”

“Oh, Vanto Shipping?”

Huh, that was a first. Aw'aesha looked at him in confusion. Right, she didn’t speak any basic. He had tried to teach her the basics on their journey, but she was far from proficient. 

“Yeah. I’ve been away for a while, and I was in the area, so I decided to stop by.”

“Okay, shuttle, you’re cleared for landing. Use pad c34. Welcome to Lothal.”

“Thank you.”

He turned off the comm. Aw'aesha looked at him expectantly.

“We’re cleared to land. I told them I’m here to visit a friend, and I work for my parent’s shipping company.”

He said in Cheunh. She nodded.

“I wish I knew basic better, sorry I won’t really be able to help you much, sir.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll translate everything for you.”

The approached the platform, and landed without incident. Eli powered down the ship, and they stepped down the ramp. Eli was glad they chose civilian clothes. Thanks to Thrass. They were instantly greeted by a dock worker, who did NOT look Imperial.

“Welcome to Lothal, Mr. Vanto, and…?”

She smiled, looking at Aw'aesha.

“She’s my intern, Dostaw’aesha'iaso. She’s still learning basic, so I’ll be translating for her.”  
“Ah.”

Her face visibly paled at the complex name, and Eli could tell she was praying she wouldn’t have to say it. 

“Thank you for the welcome. How much for the spot?”

She checked her data pad.

“Ten credits down payment, then five a day after that.”

It wasn’t unreasonable. Eli handed her the credits, and she sent them on their way. Fortunately, the main city of Lothal was filled with people of every species, so they didn’t stick out too much. They walked down a crowded street, Aw'aesha looking at everything in barely hidden wonder. 

“Let’s find our rebel friends. If my intelligence is correct, the one called Sabine Wren, or Hera Syndulla, should be here still. Their group was known as the ‘Lothal Protectors’,”

He explained, breaking off down a side street.

“They drove all imperial forces from the planet, I believe.”

Aw'aesha was still looking around, taking everything in. There was a vendor selling rugs that reminded Eli painfully of Lysatra. He took a breath and approached the man.

“Excuse me, may I ask your assistance?”

The vendor looked up at him, a smile on his face.

“Sure, what can I do for you?”

“It’s my first time on Lothal, and I’m visiting a friend. But my friend here, excuse her, she doesn’t speak basic, was curious about the Lothal Protectors, and wanted to maybe meet them. Do you know where I can find them?”

The man was immediately suspicious.

“Why do you want to see them?”

Eli leaned over and said, in Cheunh,

“I’m pretending to translate for you. Act like you’re excitedly explaining something to me.”

She did so, pulling off the excited teen better than he’s hoped. Eli chuckled nervously.

“Ah, well you see, she wants to work for a cell of, revolutionaries, you could say, when she’s older. She’s also an artist, and wants to know the role of art and symbolism in the unity of people. If I recall, the protectors are also fairly involved in the arts?”

The man’s face softened.

“Oh, of course! Sabine Wren is an amazing artist, and we’re lucky to have her. If you go to the outer tower, tell her Rin from the meiloorun booth sends his regards!”

“Thank you very much! Have a great day.”

“You too, mister.”

Eli walked away, spotting the tower a few blocks away.

“Is that where we’re going?”

Aw'aesha asked.

“Yeah. I’m not sure who we’ll find, but I have files on all of them. I’ll try to talk to them without making them mad. They weren’t exactly friends with Mitth’raw’nuruodo.”

“Right. I’ll try and be as non threatening as possible. I do, after all, resemble the man.”

Eli hadn’t thought of that. Aw'aesha whipped out a pair of green tinted glasses from the ship, and slapped them over her eyes. Now, she looked like a young pantoran.

“Good point.”

They approached the tower, and entered without event. As soon as they stepped through, a man walked up to them. It was Kallus, the late ISB agent turned rebel. Eli prayed he wouldn’t know his face. 

“Hello. What are you doing here?”

Eli stepped forward. Thank god for Chiss stoicism coming in handy yet again.

“My friend here is an artist with a rebel cell on pantora. We spoke to Rin in the market, and he told us we could find Sabine Wren here. She’s really an inspiration to her.”

Kallus looked at Aw'aesha. The glasses seemed to do the trick.

“Why doesn’t she tell me that herself?”

“She doesn’t know basic very well. Her family used only Sy Bisti, but I’m teaching her as we go.”

Kallus thought for a moment, then clicked his comm on.

“Hera, Sabine, Zeb. Someone here wants to see you. Another artist fan.”

A woman’s voice filtered through.

“Oh, I love it! Send them up.”

And like that, they were in. Kallus joined them on the elevator. He turned to Eli.

“So, where are you from? Wild Space?”

“Yeah, my family has a shipping company on Lysatra. I grew up there, doing shipments and the like. But somehow I never made it here. It’s a lovely city.”

“It’s gotten better ever since we drove the Empire away. It wasn’t as good before.”

“I bet not. I haven’t dealt much with the Empire, but everyone’s heard stories.”

“I’m sure. You’re lucky you weren’t involved.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry for those who were.”

The lift dinged, indicating their arrival. 

“Here you go. I’ll be downstairs.”

Kallus left, and Aw'aesha removed her glasses. A woman in brightly painted armor rounded the corner, smiling. But it plummeted from her face the second she saw Aw'aesha’s face. Her hand rested gently on her blaster.

“Hera! Come here.”

SHe yelled over her shoulder, then, she turned to Eli.

“Who are you?”

“Sabine Wren. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I apologize for the deception.”

A green skinned twi lek, Hera, Eli recalled, rounded the corner, and also froze when she saw them.

“Who-”

“I am Captain Eli Vanto, of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. This is my Pilot, Hess’Aw'aesha’nuruodo. I bring greetings from the Chiss ascendancy. We are here to investigate the disappearance of our native citizen, Crahsystor Mitth’raw’nuruodo. You may have known him as Thrawn.”

At that statement, Sabine drew her blaster, but didn’t raise it. Hera looked at her.

“Come this way, please.”

She led them into a wide, well lit room with a view of the city. They stood next to a Lasat, Zeb. Hera crossed her arms.

“Why do you care? He was beaten, fairly in warfare. We also lost one of our own friends, of whom there’s been no sign.”

“The condition of Thrawn’s service to the Empire stated that in the event of a catastrophic injury or loss, we would extract him. It is time to do so.”

Hera raised an eyebrow.

“He’s a war criminal.”

Eli shrugged.

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. I understand that your young friend Ezra Bridger was last seen with Thrawn. If they could both be located, it would be beneficial to each of us.”

“If they’re even still alive, that is.”

“It’s possible. Or not. There’s no way to tell unless we find them.”

Sabine cut in.

“Who sent you, again?”

“The Chiss Ascendency.”  
She looked him up and down.

“And you’re Human. How did you come to be a Captain? That seems unusual.”

“I am not at liberty to say, I’m afraid.”

Zeb finally joined their conversation. 

“I looked up your name, and It says you were a commander in the Imperial Navy, listed as missing in action several years ago.”

Hera whipped around.

“You’re an Imperial?”

“I am not. I was, but I began to see the flaws within the Emperor. Thrawn took the opportunity to send me to aid his people instead. The empire no longer holds my allegiance.”

“You knew Thrawn personally?”

“I did.” 

They exchanged glances. 

“So, you want us to work together to find Thrawn and Ezra?”

“I believe it would be mutually beneficial, yes.” 

Hera gestured to Aw'aesha.

“What about her?”

“She doesn’t speak basic. But she agreed to travel with me.”

“Oh. We need to discuss this.”

“Of course. Take your time.”


	7. Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezra finds something he didn't expect, and Thrawn evades all of his questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going with a somewhat established Eli/Thrawn here, It'll be more obvious later though. Ezra doesn't know. Also, sorry if this feels disconnected from the others. I wrote it after taking a five month break from this fic.

Ezra spent most of the day reading through the files Thrawn had left in the box next to him. Most of them were numbers upon numbers, with occasional notes added in, sometimes with sarcastic comments. Ezra was starting to like whoever this Eli was. A lot of the math was going straight over his head, and when the fifth file turned out to be nothing but numbers, he groaned and rubbed his face in frustration.

“How does this guy like numbers this much? What the hell?” 

He muttered under his breath. A file in the middle of the stack caught his eye. It had a label hastily scrawled across it. Observations. That sounded interesting. His eyes widened as the file opened, displaying dozens of folders. It looked like Eli had also gone to the lengths of gathering personal data on every major naval officer in the last two decades. Tax records, personal investments, bribes, and even bank records from their families. What’s more, it included all information about their goals, desires, and past misdeeds. He gaped. This was a ridiculous amount of valuable information, and for Thrawn to even have it- it was enough to mark him as a traitor. Maybe that’s what happened to Eli, Ezra thought grimly. He imagined the man’s fate and shuddered. 

Ezra opened the file labeled Arhinda Pryce, his interest peaking. That woman had made the life on his home planet miserable for as long as he could remember. What was she trying to hide? He frowned as he read through the lines of text. Apparently, she had a lot of political favors built up and even- Ezra gasped.

She had been responsible for the disaster at Batonn. He felt a surge of anger build up in his gut, and tried to force it down. A note caught his eye. 

Could never prove this- however, while evidence is overwhelmingly against her, there is no physical proof that govt. would accept. Keep eye on Pryce in future. 

-E. 

Eli again. Ezra was starting to see why this man had stayed by Thrawn’s side for all these years. It seemed they had extremely similar thought processes. Ezra really hoped Vanto was out there somewhere, and wasn’t involved in any of the recent events. He gave himself a shake. Sympathy for an imperial was not something he needed right now. He closed the observation file, but placed it aside for later reference. That could be useful.

Ezra began to wonder about this Eli. Was he actually friends with Thrawn, or was it just a long term friendly working relationship? Either thing seemed impossible based on the Grand Admiral he knew. The cold, calculating man that nearly demolished the family Ezra loved. Did Thrawn have any family? Siblings? A loved one? It was a strange thought. Ezra shook it away. Best not to think about it. 

He picked up another file, and opened it. And nearly dropped it in surprise. This one was a video, and it seemed more like a personal possession than a data file. It must have gotten mixed up. It was a shaky recording of a brown skinned, brown haired smiling man that could only be Eli holding an instrument, it looked like a guitar from what Ezra could tell. That was a wild space instrument, he thought, confused. How did an imperial learn how to play one of those? 

Then the man opened his mouth, and Ezra gaped. That was the most wild space accent he’d ever heard. And that was saying something. 

“Ok, ok! Alright, I’ll play it. So, uh, this is a classic song from home. First one I memorized. Here goes.” 

He strummed a few chords, and Ezra watched with rapt attention.

“When I was a child, my family would travel, down to western…” 

Ezra was immediately fascinated with the music. It was nothing that was ever played near the empire, that’s for sure. Eli had a mesmerizing voice, and it made Ezra want to visit whatever place he was singing about. Then another thought hit him. Did all of these files belong to Eli? And who was recording, and how did it end up in an imperial’s file? Did Thrawn ever see these? He tried to imagine the Admiral listening to this, but couldn’t quite picture it. 

The song ended, breaking the spell. Someone off camera said something, and Eli turned pink.

“Yeah? Well, you’re probably the only one who’s going to hear me play now. Not exactly the typical core world stuff. But if you liked it, I can play whenever you want! Hell, I’ll teach you some chords too, we could play together-“ 

The recording ended, frozen on a picture of the smiling man. Out of the corner of his eye, Ezra saw Thrawn emerging from the wreckage with what looked like more data cards. Ezra debated turning off the recording, but Thrawn caught sight of it before he could. The Admiral froze, an odd expression flashed across his face. It was the first emotion Ezra had seen from the man. 

“What happened to him?”

Ezra asked, breaking the tense silence. He didn’t know how he’d deal with the man behind all the information being killed by his own carelessness like the others. Thrawn didn’t answer immediately.

“He is… no longer affiliated with the empire. He hasn’t been for several years now.”

“He defected?”

Ezra thought he would’ve at least noticed if an informant this organized joined the ranks of the rebellion. 

“No, he did not. I sent him away from the empire and to my own people, to see if he would be of.. better use there.” 

That was cold. But Ezra had to know-

“Were you friends?”

“I suppose you could say that.” 

Thrawn looked at the photo thoughtfully, then continued on his path to the pile of data cards.

“And what happened to him after? I’m sorry, it just seems like a lot of this data came from this Vanto guy, but I don’t think anyone I know has ever mentioned him.”

“Probably because he was assumed dead when he left for the ascendancy.”

“...what?”

“Yes, there was a shuttle crash. Quite tragic. It was never made public, but it took any suspicion off of him.” 

Faking death and desertion was not exactly what he had expected from the Grand Admiral himself. Ezra sat in thought for a moment. Then, he gestured to the photo.

“did you ever hear him play?”

Thrawn looked up again and the same expression flashed across his face.

“I did.”

Not the answer Ezra was expecting. At all. Thrawn gently reached over and shut off the holo, placing the music back into the stack of data cards.


End file.
